SPEEDLINE-LIEFERSERVICE VOM ROHMATERIAL BIS ZUM FERTIGTEIL

Marks GmbH, a contract manufacturer and specialist supplier for mechanical engineering and tool construction, commands a special place in the German market due to its range of services. They include raw materials, precision flat steels, P-standard plates and 3-axis premilled or 5-axis finished active parts on Hermle machining centres, including all deep hole drilling work.

The portfolio of Marks GmbH, based in Eisenberg, Germany, includes tool and stainless steels, aluminium and non-ferrous metals, blanks, premilled or corner-radii-finished blanks as well as CNC-produced active parts milled and machined on all sides. Company founder Lothar Marks soon realised: Customers often require special materials or blanks in very small quantities. Marks offers them the necessary support and assumes complete preliminary and final processing according to drawings and CAD data.

The pallet change system of the highly flexible 5-axis CNC high-performance machining centre C 42 UP for “round-the-clock” complete production of mould plates, mould superstructures and active parts for the mechanical engineering and tool construction industry.

A PRACTICAL SERVICE CONCEPT

“We saw raw materials to the customer’s brief and ensure short delivery times,” claims Lothar Marks. The remaining pieces can be viewed online the next day, complete with information about dimensions, quantities and prices. 24 hour delivery is guaranteed. Further services provided by the company include high-pressure water jet cutting, premilling and the complete 3D machining of workpieces. “Thanks to our fast and reliable service, our customers are also able to meet their ever shorter deadlines,” says Marks. For this purpose, the contract manufacturer has invested in an efficient range of machinery. It consists of several automatic saws, large part milling machines and two CNC machining centres C 1200 V from Hermle AG for the 3-axis machining of mould plates, mould frames and active mould parts. The company additionally boasts two 5-axis CNC high-performance machining centres – also from Hermle – of the C 60 U and C 42 UP series. Marks uses the C 42 UP to process more complex workpieces of medium size and weight in a highly automated fashion for up to 23 hours a day.

On the left the operator/supervisor of the Hermle machining centre Mr Engler, in the centre Lothar Marks, founder and Managing Director, and on the right his son André Marks, Managing Director, all from Marks GmbH based in Eisenberg/Germany.

FROM SAWING TO 3D COMPLETE MACHINING

Employees can use the C 60 U for traverse paths of X-Y-Z = 1,200-1,300-900 mm as well as a table load of up to 2,500 kg and for high-precision machining of components, including deephole drilling. It is equipped with the swivelling rotary table measuring 1,350 x 1,100 mm in diameter and standard equipment featuring a 70-piece tool magazine and the workpiece holder HSK-A 63. The tool spindle has a top speed of 18,000 rpm, an 80 bar high-pressure cooling lubricant unit. Furthermore, the system offers electrical heat compensation, sealing air for the glass scales, tool measurement and breakage monitoring, touch probes and a Heidenhain iTNC 530 HSCI control unit.

“In order to meet our demands for more comprehensive delivery capability and extensive adherence to delivery dates, we rely on the maximum performance and availability of our machinery,” says Lothar Marks. “When we finally met up with Hermle in 2006 through customer contacts at a trade show, it was the beginning of a fruitful cooperation based on trust. How effective and efficient the four machining centres actually are can be seen from the fact that only two qualified employees are needed per shift for their operation and support.